PROLOGUE - THE OVEREXCITED DAY
Saturday 30th July, 2011
Flims Waldhaus
Loop and mass start (ca. 4 pkm)
for D/H E and D/H 20 only
Afterwards open for all as a final SOW training.
Assembly area, start and finish in Flims Waldhaus
Screenshot Map La Mutta 2003
old map Flims Waldhaus 2000 as PDF |
|
As an overture we invite you to take a stroll through the Flimserwald. The natural beauty of the forest provides the notes and the sprinting elite runners keep the beat. There aren't quite so many giant boulders in this part of the forest, but lots of hills, depressions and footpaths. However, at sprint speed you have to be careful not to race into a dead-end.
When the classes D/HE and D/H20 have finished their prologue, you will have the opportunity to run this elite course as training and to beat the best time of the elite, which will put the final polish on your SOW preparations. It wouldn't be quite so good if you end up having to search for your controls, but we can console you. The Flimserwald is not only famous; it is also notorious - for searches!
Webcam Flims and area around Flims |
|
-
DAY 1 - THE LEGENDARY DAY
|
Sunday 31st July, 2011
La Mutta
Normal distance
Assembly area and finish in SOW Centre rocksresort in Laax
Walk to start 1: 50 minutes on foot or 5 minutes transport by bus and 10 minutes on foot
Walk to start 2: 15 minutes
Screenhots map La Mutta 2003
old map La Mutta 2003 as PDF |
|
The Flimserwald is a fairy tale forest. Many of us have already experienced an orienteering fairy tale in the part ''La Mutta''. You float through the open forest and only the high ferns reduce the good runnability. It must be that evil spirits rule the dark middle of the forest, for how else could so many orienteering legends have been created here.
|
Most of the forest is, however, delightful and ideal for lingering and dreaming...you look down to the Rhine gorge or the Caumasee - wonderful to be on holiday here! However, you need to keep all your senses focussed on the map reading when you get into the rock fall area. Luckily there are plenty of paths as catching features, but off the paths you need to keep completely concentrated, otherwise orienteering in the fairy tale forest can become an adventurous horror story! What is the slogan of this Swiss O Week? Discover the adventure! And that is exactly what you will do today.
-
DAY 2 - THE PANORAMIC DAY
|
Monday, 1st. August, 2011
Crap Sogn Gion
Long distance
Access from Laax (SOW Centre rocksresort) by cable car, 9 minutes, 650 persons/h or from Flims with gondola and chairlift, 18 minutes, 1800 persons/h
Assembly area and finish at the ski station Crap Sogn Gion
Walk to start 1: 40 minutes
Walk to start 2: 15 minutes
Screenhots similar map Schwialppass 09
|
|
|
Now that you have got used to the mountains and the altitude, the cable cars and lifts carry you to the race area at between 1800 and 2300 metres above sea level. The sunny ski area of Crap Sogn Gion has no steep descents and very little rocky terrain.
|
|
You fly across the alpine meadows on ''blue pistes'', dodge through the alpine roses, jump over knolls, dive into hollows and swing around the boulders. The long courses pass through a beautiful semi-open area, but the metres of climb will mean that you have to earn your way back to the finish. The wide mountain panorama will accompany you for the whole length of this long distance race. And at the finish, you will think ''fantastic'', what beautiful orienteering holidays! That is the meaning of life!
-
DAY 3 - THE ICE COLD DAY
|
Tuesday 2nd August, 2011
Vorab
Normal distance
Access from Laax (SOW Centre rocksresort) by cable car and gondola, 35 min, or from Flims with gondola, chair lift and cable car, 44 min, 650 persons/h
Assembly area and finish at the ski station Vorab
Walk to start 1: 5 minutes
Walk to start 2: 5 minutes
Screenhots similar map Lidernen 09
|
|
The highlight of this Swiss O Week takes you to the foot of the Vorab (3028m) and the Vorab glacier. This was a summer ski area until a few years ago. The various cable cars take you comfortably to the assembly area at 2566 metres above sea level. You will be able to review yesterday's run from the air and enjoy the glorious view.
|
From the gondola you will be able to see how your opponents search for control 77 in the small re-entrant, but be careful: what looks easy from above is a lot trickier on the ground!
Part of the race area consists of the stony but surprisingly runnable desert in front of the glacier. Extremely fine contour detail will charm the mappers. Occasionally you will need to take a pause and admire the Sardona tectonic arena, a UNESCO world heritage site. Another part of the area is a high alp where you could really use your turbo if it wasn't for the many re-entrants, knolls, depressions, ponds and small rocks where the controls are standing! When you reach the finish of this highlight of the Swiss O Week, feeling happy with the harmony between yourself, nature and the world, you will know what the Swiss O week really means. SOW - where orienteering meets the sky!
-
THE REST DAY
|
Wednesday 3rd August, 2011
|
-
DAY 4 - THE VARIED DAY
|
Thursday, 4th August, 2011
Plaun
Normal distance
Access from Flims by gondola, 11 min., 1800 persons/h
Assembly area and finish at the ski station Plaun
Walk to start 1: 7 minutes by chair lift (2'600 persons/h) and 10 minutes on foot
Walk to start 2: 5 minutes
Screenhots similar map Stoos 09
|
|
|
Today's assembly area is on an alpine meadow set in a high valley. The different types of terrain include moderately steep slopes and finely structured terraces. You will pass through natural and open mountain forest, and also semi-open areas with heather and high alpine roses. You will rush across fast ski pistes and mountain pastures, but some difficult boulder fields will slow you down again. Variety is guaranteed.
|
|
-
DAY 5 - THE DECEPTIVE DAY
|
Friday, 5th August, 2011
Nagens
Normal distance
Access from Flims by gondola, 18 min., 1800 persons/h
Assembly area and finish at the ski station Nagens
Walk to start 1: 20 minutes
Walk to start 2: 20 minutes
Screenhots similar map Ruosalp 09
|
|
|
The gondola takes you to the treeless area around the ski station of Nagens. During the race you will discover that what looked very runnable and technically easy from the gondola is actually a detailed boundary zone of a glacier. The gentle slope does indeed look easy, but it all looks the same, and this time there are no paths as catching features. As well as fast ski pistes and alpine meadows, with or without stones, there are countless small hills, hollows and re-entrants. You will come across streams that have cut so far into the ground that deep rocky stream beds and wonderful glacier windmills have been created.
|
|
-
DAY 6 - THE HARD ROCK DAY
|
Saturday, 6th August, 2011
Foppa
Middle distance
Assembly area and finish at the cable car station Flims
Walk to start 1: by chair lift, 7 minutes, 1'800 persons/h and 20 minutes on foot
Walk to start 2: by chair lift, 7 minutes, 1'800 persons/h and 5 minutes on foot
Screenhots similar map Uaul Ground 2000
|
|
The Swiss O Week 2011 Flims-Laax comes full circle. We received you at the SOW Centre rocksresort and we say farewell to you in a real rock resort. What was the appetizer at the prologue and day 1 is now served to you as dessert: a typical rock fall area. You will be confronted with a huge number of boulders, some as big as houses. The forest floor is nevertheless mostly runnable. But with so many rocks around you might start thinking that you are seeing double. Was it the SOW party the night before, or is the map of Foppa really trying to make a fool of you? You will have to rise to the challenge. Some parts of the forest and adjacent meadows somehow escaped the rock slide, maybe just to give you a chance to show a hint of your running speed. At the finish of this last day of the Swiss O Week 2011 Flims-Laax you will look back on a unique and unforgettable SOW and sigh ''wow, that was real rock 'n roll!''
|
-
Out of bounds areas
Walking is only allowed on the paths and ski piste, from August 2009 to SOW 2011.
